Minutes 1-20-2014

The Council of the City of Augusta, Kansas met in regular session on January 20, 2014, with Mayor Kristey Williams presiding. Council present were Jason Lowery, Paul Belt, Jamie Crum, Sue Jones, Mike Rawlings, Ron Reavis, and Matt Malone. Council member Matt Childers was absent. Also present: Interim City Attorney Cami Baker, City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez, Assistant City Manager Josh Shaw, and City Clerk Erica Jones. Visitors present were: Kent Bush, John Black, Ken Bratton, Sarah Nield, and Gary Rogers.

Prayer: Jason Lowery gave the invocation.

Minutes: S. Jones made a motion to approve the minutes from the January 6, 2014 meeting. Malone seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.

Appropriations:

December (12B): Reavis made a motion to approve Ordinance 12B in the amount of $397,429.26. Lowery seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.

December (12C): Malone made a motion to approve Ordinance 12C in the amount of $720,298.16. Lowery seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.

December (12D): S. Jones made a motion to approve Ordinance 12D in the amount of $41,193.37. Reavis seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.

Visitors:

Gary Rogers addressed the governing body and requested a change in protocol for the meetings. He asked that each meeting begin with a prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The consensus of the council was to add the Pledge of Allegiance to the agenda.

Sarah Nield, newly appointed Augusta Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, was present to formally introduce herself to the City Council.

Presentation:

Staff gave a presentation entitled “2013 Year in Review” summarizing City projects and initiatives from the 2013 calendar year.

New Business:

2013 Audit Services: Rawlings made a motion to award the audit services of the City’s 2013 Year End Financials to George, Bowerman & Noel, P.A. and authorize the City Manager to execute the related documents. Lowery seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.

Inspection Dept Pickup Truck Bids: Reavis made a motion to approve the bid from Rusty Eck Ford in the amount of $20,997 for the Inspection Department Pickup Truck. S. Jones seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.

Matters From/For Council:

Work Session: Reavis made a motion to schedule a study session on February 3, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. to review and discuss the City’s Neighborhood Revitalization Program. Malone seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.

Communications:

Malone: Malone inquired about the status of the phone system upgrade. E. Jones stated the install will be completed this Friday when the Safety Department and Electric Department’s phone systems are switched from AT&T to Cox. She stated the system is operational at all of the city’s other facilities.

S. Jones: S. Jones stated she received complaints about the Eastside Eagle and that the City Attorney needs to continue to press the issue. She stated she counted 18 papers in the gutter along Kelly in one day last week. Williams stated she has seen an improvement in her neighborhood.

Adjourn: At 7:45 PM Reavis made a motion to adjourn. Malone seconded the motion. Motion carried without opposition.